Fresh faces ready to swim

The Patriots may be short on sectional experience, but coach Barry Weaver is hoping their strong numbers will help make up for it.
The Jay County High School boys swim team returns just two swimmers — seniors Alex Sutton and Lucas Holcomb — who competed in the sectional finals or consolation finals in individual events a year ago.
“I look at 27 boys and I think we’re going to be all right,” said Weaver, whose squad had 19 athletes a year ago. “We’re probably not going to set the world on fire yet, but with 27 of them and a good amount of returning kids  … I think we’re going to be competitive. …
“Dual-meet wise (our numbers) are going to make a huge difference for us, especially at home with four kids in every event. …
“I hope we can win a lot of meets.”
Sutton leads the group of returning swimmers for the Patriots as the only one who placed among the top six in the 2011 sectional. His best effort came with a sixth-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle.
He was also 10th in the 200 freestyle, and teamed with Neal Fennig, Travis Steed and Josh Lykins for fourth place in the 400 freestyle relay.
With Fennig, a state-qualifier in the 200 freestyle last season, lost to graduation, Weaver is looking upon Sutton to help lead his team.
“I think the kids will follow him ... I think he’s one of those that people kind of look up to,” said Weaver. “The kids really like him.”
“We always come back to the distance freestyle, which I think he enjoys as much as anything. He understands how to swim it. … He’s a good, hard worker.”
Holcomb’s competed in the sectional in the 100-yard backstroke, finishing in ninth place.
Others returning with sectional relay experience are juniors Willie Skiver and Zach James, and Lykins, a sophomore. And Weaver said he also expects big contributions from senior Wiley Young, who will specialize in the individual medley and butterfly, as well as Dylan Friddle, Matt Dann and Evan Mathias.
“Lucas (Holcomb) is going to be one of those guys we’re going to count on,” said Weaver. “He’s got a good work ethic. … In those short freestyle events, he’s going to have to be the man for us.
“Wiley (Young) might be one of the better all-around swimmers that we’ve had. … Things really come naturally to him. He picks them up very easily. He really has a nice stroke for all four events.”
In addition to the returning swimmers, the Patriots will also be depending on a freshman to score significant points as James Keen joins the squad after a stand-out eighth grade season for the Jay County middle school team.
Keen set six team records a year ago, starting with a 200-yard freestyle mark that had stood since 1998. He also set Jay County middle school records in the 200 individual medley, 100 backstroke and 50, 100 and 200 freestyle events.
“James has been around swimming for a long time,” said Weaver. “He’s another one of those kids that is a real hard worker. He gets in and gets right after it.
“He is a fierce competitor as well. He doesn’t like to lose.”
The Patriots are hoping to get back above .500 after finishing 6-9 a year ago. They went on to a seventh-place finish in the 10-team sectional field.
“I don’t know how many meets we can win,” said Weaver. “What I really want is continued improvement, to get better every meet. I would hope we’re going to be competitive in every meet. … I hope we can win a huge majority of them.”[[In-content Ad]]